Louisiana Dance Halls | Vinton/East Orange Archives - Louisiana Dance Halls

From http://www.texasfreeway.com: “On the right side of the road as Texans exited the east end of the mile-long bridge stood …Mud Lake, (and) on the left, stood The Grove.” From www.orangeleader.com: “Across the ÒMile BridgeÓ, and the last of the bigger clubs was The Grove. The Grove was an elegant club operated by Sam Smith and his wife Marian. The Smiths had opened the Grove in 1937 and it soon became known as the best of the East Orange night spots. There was a gambling room with slot machines, roulette wheels, dice and card tables, a large dining and dancing area and a smaller ÒPeacock RoomÓ. The Peacock Room had originally been a pit for fighting roosters when the club first opened. After about a year, the Smiths decided that cockfighting was not something they wanted to keep in their club, so they stopped it and remolded the pit into a dining room. At times the Smiths booked big band entertainment. They had a house band that played nightly, but at times brought in extra attractions. Couples and groups from Orange would drive to the Grove for a special night of dining, dancing, entertainment, and maybe a little gambling. When they went to the Grove they always dressed in their best. There was never a club like the Grove in the Orange area and may never be again.” ...

From http://www.orangeleader.com: “The most unique of all the clubs was the Showboat. It was an actual paddlewheel riverboat that had seen service in the Memphis, Tennessee area of the Mississippi. The ÒHarry LeeÓ was brought to Orange and docked on the left side of the highway in the ditch left from the dredging. The boat consisted of three decks, was 200 feet long and 43 feet wide. Over the years it would gain a reputation as being the roughest of the clubs. There was drinking, some prostitution, and much gambling at the Showboat. The owners wanted gamblers, but wanted them to lose. If a winner tried to leave the boat, he was usually faced by some employees who tried to intimidate him into staying until he had lost his winnings plus everything he had gone into the club with. There were a lot of fights, stabbings, some shootings and even a murder or two. The Showboat became known as a ‘bucket of blood.’ R. F. ÒBobÓ Bass was Chief of Police in Orange from December, 1942 until August, 1946. In those years he would occasionally be called about a problem. Even though he had no jurisdiction, he would go. In an interview his son, Harley, related that his dad once went to the Showboat to see about a body floating in the water. When the body was pulled out of the water and Chief Bass rolled him over, he found two bullet holes in his back. It was reported that when the water was clear enough to see the bottom from the gangway that went from shore to the boatÕs deck, that one could see literally hundreds of billfolds. It was not unusual for someone to be knocked in the head, have his billfold taken and emptied and the bill fold thrown in the water. Under somewhat strange circumstances the Harry Lee burned to the waterline. Fire trucks from Orange drove across the bridge to the burning boat but were unable to control the fire. The boat burned to the waterline. A smaller boat similar to the Harry Lee was brought in by barge and docked where the Harry Lee had been and business resumed as usual.” ...

From Louisiana Dancehalls FaceBook page- Jerry L. Moody:  “(I)n the early to mid 50’s we lived behind the old Rainbow Club that was on the old Orange Hwy. My mom and dad worked there, dad was a bartender and bouncer, and mom a waitress. This club was west of the Circle Club in Vinton. The old Hwy 90 went to Orange, Texas near the Navy ship yard. The bridge was an old two lane wooden bridge it was as narrow as the Port Arthur bridge and even more scary.” “One time Mr. Miller, he owned the club, locked his keys inside so he paid me 50 cents if I could crawl through the box fan and pass through a hole in the side to go get his keys. It was dark and the only lights were the beer and whiskey signs. I ran as fast as i could found the keys and made a bee line to the front door. I was about 6 years old.” From Facebook comments: Darla G. Morton:  “My step dad owned (the Rainbow Club). His name was Tiny Richardson. He also had Club 88 on a highway near there. I was too young but I think it was on Highway 88.” From http://www.texasfreeway.com:  “On the right side of the road as Texans exited the east end of the mile-long bridge stood the Crystal Palace, followed by, on the banks of Mud Lake, Pete Aucion’s. Just past Mud Lake, on the left, stood…Rainbow Club.” Photo courtesy of Jerry L. Moody: Description: “Lee Pruit is the man with the white shirt and my mom is behind him This picture was taken in 1955.” ...